Efficient fitness, better health, less stressful life

It’s hot. And it’s humid. Typical January day in Sydney. The consequences of my earlier decision to stand in front of the blazing hot barbeque, to grill an assortment of vegetables, is dawning on me. All the while my mind keeps playing the yes/no/yes/no tug of war with the thought of popping open an ice cold bottle of pale ale.

Breaking well-ingrained habits is hard. But changing bad habits you struggle with right now is not about the hacks, or the newest trick someone else is selling. When you convince yourself of something, you can then use the newly found reasoning as a fuel to make things happen.

“Functional training is only functional when your body is functioning well.”Dr. Andreo Spina

Ah, functional training, one of the many great fitness buzzwords. Remember when being functional was synonymous with arm curls on a Bosu ball and back squatting on Swiss ball. Yep, we used to call it functional. Luckily things have moved on and most folks now understand that stuff that’s great for circus and Instagram isn’t always the stuff that actually serves a purpose in real life.

I acknowledge that 99% of my readers are not health and fitness professionals. I will briefly explain what the workshop was about and then go into how you can improve your kettlebell training.

I recently took part in Move Strong’s An Introduction to Kettlebells for Rehabilitation and Performance – workshop in Sydney. The founders of Move Strong, Matt and Andrea, both chiropractors, have noticed a void in the industry and are on a mission to educate other clinicians, as well as personal trainers on how to better serve our patients and clients.

Chains. Heavy. Also, this could be an entrance to Batman’s wine cellar. Keeping that sneaky Robin from drinking all the Merlot.

I am no stranger to back pain. There are more than few clients I see that have either had or a still dealing with the bane of back pain. And I’ve had my fair share of back issues in the past.

There is just something wrong about the evolution of the human animal. Wait, maybe it’s that the human animal hasn’t kept up with the fast-paced evolution of the world around it. The world raced from active manual labor (not that heavy manual labour was making great backs either) to days of prolonged sitting.

Alas, instead of cursing the world for what it has become and done to our lumbar spine and transverse processes, let’s instead see what you can do to feel better.

My life becomes busy when poor time management practice clashes with not having my priorities right. That’s all it is. To me, “being busy” belongs in the same category as “I am not motivated”. Both statements are just the end result from lack of discipline.

Lack of discipline to get away with not doing shit I don’t feel like doing.Continue reading →

When You Feel Like Giving Up

Showing up to train is easy when all is swell. You’re seeing results and being fueled by the powerful concoction of energy, anticipation and progress that keeps you coming back and striving for more.

Yet, only beginners are naïve enough to think this is the norm.

If you’ve been training any longer than six months you know constant, linear progress is a short-lived, fairy tale scenario that only happens to Mickey in the Disney Gym.

But eventually all of us face the non-Disney Gym reality. The shock wake up to the miserable world where Donald Duck looks more like Donald Trump. Maybe it is that our progress slows down or even stalls. Or perhaps, against a better judgement, we keep pushing too hard and too fast to where the body can’t keep up. Continue reading →

For all you old school people who prefer the paperback version, you’ll need to wait for another week or two. I had few issues with the printing and want to double check everything looks good before printing and releasing the 220 pages of it out into the wild. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Here’s the lowdown on Spandex Not Compulsory. (If you are new here, here’s a quick recap: book in progress, out soon).

Who is it for? Who is it NOT for? Should you buy it? Does it come with elf stickers?

First, let me tell you who it is not for. It is not for those who adore spandex, fake-tan, counting calories and have the time to train more than Arnold did in the 70’s.

Now that that’s out of the way, who is it for then? Do people who don’t adore spandex even read books? Well…

It is a book for the busy grownups who struggle with time and motivation. For those who want to get more out of life by becoming stronger, fitter and more confident. But refuse to devote their life to restrictive fitness rules.

To see results you need an approach that fits your life. Yes, locking yourself in the basement, away from life’s temptations works. Or, you could learn the flexible principles that allow you to ace work and enjoy life.

In the book you’ll discover:

– How to find motivation and stop relying on willpower

– How to find more time for exercise

– How training and healthy eating can work with an ever-changing schedule

– Results-driven habits that allow you to enjoy life

– A 12-week training program for a strong and resilient body

– Access to the online bonus section

– Free unisex spandex bodysuit*

– And so much more

*Ok, spandex bodysuit is definitely not included.

Excited? If not, I hope I at least got a tiny thrill happening somewhere deep inside of you. The book will be on sale at Amazon the first week it’s out, both on Kindle and Paperback. And yes, still aiming for 14th of May, currently getting the typesetting and interior formatting done.

If you’ve got any questions, please email me. Even if it’s about the elf stickers.